‘They come in far more experienced than the previous generations’ – Ravi Shastri lauds three Indian cricketers for their fearlessness

Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri has heaped praises on Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah for coming up the ranks at a brisk pace in their careers. Bumrah made his debut back in 2016 and has established himself for the national team across all three formats. He’s also successfully plied his trade for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

Gill came to the fore after he became the Player of the Tournament in the 2018 U19 World Cup. In the same year, he made his debut for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL after which he donned the India colours for the first time in the tour of New Zealand in 2019.

Pant made his debut in 2017 and has been an integral part of the Indian team, especially after MS Dhoni’s departure. Shastri, who served as India’s head coach from 2017 to 2021, lauded the trio for showing a lot of maturity and fearlessness in their approach.

They come in far more experienced than the previous generations, says Ravi Shastri

“They are brilliant! Pant, Shubman Gill, Bumrah – it has only been a couple of years since they made their India debut. They have the same belief as their predecessors; it’s just that the exuberance of youth and the fearlessness is far greater. They come in far more experienced than the previous generations,” Shastri was quoted as saying in The Week.

Shastri, whose tenure with Team India came to an end after the T20 World Cup 2021, said that the IPL has changed the dynamics of the sport to a large extent. He said that rubbing shoulders with the best in the business have done a world of good to the young cricketers.

“I have always said that the IPL has made a difference – to share a dressing room with the best in the world, play with and against them and then come into the Indian team; [it makes them] far more experienced.

“When I was playing, the maximum pace I had faced in domestic cricket was 74kmph. Then, [when I made it] to the Indian team, [I faced] Imran Khan and the West Indies pacers. The exposure level is vastly different,” he added.